Project Wingman USA Frontliners Hospital Lounges
Staffed by furloughed airline crews
Project Wingman USA
has opened its two inaugural
“First Class Lounges” for
frontline healthcare professionals
at Flushing Hospital
Medical Center and Jamaica
Hospital Medical Center in
Queens, New York City. Mirrored
on Project Wingman
UK that launched in London
last month by furloughed airline
crew wanting to offer
peer support to medical staff
during the COVID-19 pandemic,
it has quickly grown
to more than 4,000 volunteers
servicing lounges at 30
UK hospitals. The lounges
will be staffed with volunteer
flight attendants from a
number of airlines, including
American Airlines, Delta
Air Lines, Endeavor Air, Jet-
Blue, Norwegian Air, Spirit
Airlines and United Airlines.
Partner FLAG (Front Line
Appreciation Group) of NYC,
which supports local restaurants
and businesses during
COVID-19 by providing food
for frontline medical workers
through donations, has helped
bring onboard a number of
small company donors, including
16 AIRPORT VOICE, MAY 2020
Blank Slate Tea, Brittle
& Beyond, GoGo Squeeze,
MOJO Desserts and Whisps.
Additionally, United Airlines
has donated 2,000 pillows to be
used in the lounges. The two
launch hospitals have fittingly
a long history of supporting
New York City’s two main
airports: Flushing Hospital
is one of the closest receiving
hospitals to LaGuardia Airport
and Jamaica Hospital is
the closest receiving hospital
to JFK International Airport.
Jamaica’s Level 1 Trauma
Center provides support to
the airport during disaster
and emergency situations.
Both hospitals are at the epicenter
of the COVID-19 pandemic
that impacted the City
of New York to a far greater
extent than any other part of
the United States. The Project
Wingman lounges are a safe
space where healthcare professionals
can come for peace
and relaxation before, during
and after their shifts to enjoy
an ambient and comfortable
setting with service provided
by the project’s volunteers,
who are also there to offer empathy
\What a great collaboration! Project Wingman USA has opened hospital lounges for frontline workers staffed
by furloughed airline crews. Two inaugural “First Class Lounges” for frontline healthcare professionals at
hospitals near JFK & LGA.
and peer support. The
lounge amenities include beverages,
snacks and gifts. The
lounges are located in a secluded,
non-patient facing environment
and the hospitals
provide the volunteers with
personal protective equipment
such as face masks and
gloves. “Jamaica and Flushing
Hospital employees are
extremely grateful to Project
Wingman USA for creating
these first-class relaxation
lounges on both campuses,”
said Bruce J. Flanz, president
and CEO of the MediSys
Health Network, which operates
the two facilities. “These
lounges give our hardworking
frontline staff a place to take
a much-needed break and relax,
even if it is for just a moment.
Even more impressive
than the lounges are the caring
and compassionate men
and women from the airline
industry who selflessly volunteered
to be here to support
our team. We thank them for
their efforts.” “It is especially
fitting to launch Project Wingman
USA at two hospitals located
close to two of the busiest
airports in the country
and so close to where many
airline employees live,” said
Project Wingman USA Chairman
Anders Lindström, who
is the U.S. Director of Communications,
for Norwegian Air.
Airline crewmembers who
wish to volunteer can sign up
at projectwingmanusa.com.
Donations to fund snacks,
non-alcoholic beverages and
miscellaneous necessities for
the lounges can be made at the
group’s GoFundMe site. “Project
Wingman has already
raised almost 20% of its goal,
including generous donations
from the Association of Flight
Attendants and many other.
Airport homeless assisted
Actions to aid indigent and protect public
BY JEFF YAPALATER
Tens of millions of travelers
pass through the Port
Authority airports of JFK,
LaGuardia and Newark.
Many are rushing to get to
the airport, pass through
security and board their
flights. There are dozens of
others, who live in the background
of this bustling activity,
roam from terminal to
terminal, ride the Airtrains
endlessly and get lost in the
crowds. These are the homeless
in our transportation
centers who are barely noticed
by passengers yet are at
rick to themselves and others
during this Covid 19 health
crisis.
Collaboration among the
Part Authority Police Department
(PAPD) Volunteers
of America (VOA), Urban
Pathway, terminal operators
and volunteers work daily
in the outreach to help the
homeless or indigent in their
needs and to bring safety to
those travelling.
JFK Airport
According to the Port
Authority, JFK PAPD Command
has been proactive
working hand in hand with
Terminal Operators, PA Airport
Operations and the service
provider, Volunteers of
America in each of the (6) terminals
at the Airport to offer
services to the homeless
since the beginning of the
pandemic.
Patrol units and VOA inform
homeless persons of the
pending soft closures and
as a result of the messaging
many of the homeless have
vacated the terminals. The
command and partners continues
the dialogue with the
remaining homeless to urge
them to accept services. The
VOA has an office at JFK
which in addition to outreach
it offers the homeless emergency
shelter, transitional
housing. and providing supportive
environments that
are long-term.
Most recently all terminals
are conducting Soft Closures
and Access Restrictions
during the late night
hours due to the lack of passenger
volume.
PAPD and VOA conduct
sweeps together prior
to the terminals closing for
the night. Even prior to COVID
19 operational changes,
PAPD accompanies VOA
during the overnight shift to
ensure staff safety.
Since some of the homeless
spend a lot of time on
the Airtrain riding between
JFK Airport and Jamaica
Station, Moreover, the Command
has worked cooperatively
with the NYPD Homeless
Outreach Unit. VOA
phone at JFK, (718)-656-7765
Newark Airport
Across all three tours,
Homeless outreach officers
and terminal officers perform
a systematic top to bottom
sweep of all 3 terminal
offering services to any
homeless individuals looking
for them
PAPD Officers conduct
sweeps daily with our partners
Urban Pathway and services
are offered to homeless
individuals
In a further attempt to secure
the terminals and mitigate
the homeless population
since flight activity is minimal,
overnight hard closures
of terminals A, B, and C for
cleaning and maintenance
will begin on Friday, April
17, 2020.
PAPD works closely with
all stakeholders at the airport
on all homeless issues
LaGuardia Airport
PAPD conducts Homeless
Outreach on the day
tours and on the overnight
tours with partner Volunteers
of America offering services
which includes shelter.
PAPD Officers on all tours
are directed to offer services
to any homeless individuals
(VOA can be reached 24/7 to
provide the services 718-533-
3611). PAPD works closely
with all stakeholders at the
airport on all homeless issues.
LGA continue to close all
Terminals during the overnight
hours for cleaning and
maintenance, weather permitting.
( Terminals remain
open overnight when flights
are delayed)
Homeless man at JFK Airport
/projectwingmanusa.com